The Writers' Circle

Once there was a farmer that lived on a 
little farm outside of town. 
The small farm had everything one would expect to see on a farm. 
There was a barn, pigs, chickens, goats, horses, cats, 
dogs, tractors, open fields, and wild flowers. 
The only thing missing from this farm was a cow. 
The farmer's family missed drinking cold milk each morning with 
breakfast, after school, and at night before bed. 

One day while his wife was busy in the house 
and his children were at school, 
the farmer hitched a trailer to his truck and went to a cattle sale in town to buy the perfect cow for his family. 
The farmer arrived at the cattle sale feeling very excited. 
He wanted to return home with a cow to surprise his family. 
So, he spent the day eating, talking with friends, 
and watching the sale. 

After hours of watching and waiting, 
the farmer had not found the perfect cow.
Feeling very tired and disappointed, 
He decided to return home empty handed. 
As he was walking to his truck, a little old lady took him by the hand and asked him why he looked so sad. 
After the farmer told the lady about his disappointing day, 
she smiled, patted his hand, and led him to three of 
the ugliest, skinniest cows he had ever seen. 
Not only were they ugly, but also, one was pink!

As they approached the cows, the lady told the farmer 
the cows had served her family well. 
She gave him instructions on how the cows should be fed. 
The pink cow must eat red, ripe strawberries; 
The brown cow must eat chocolate; 
And the white cow must eat coconut. 
They should never be fed anything else. 
The farmer politely thanked the kind old lady for her generosity, 
Put the cows securely into his trailer, 
and took them home to his family.

He quietly placed the cows in the barn until morning.  
The next morning, wanting to share his surprise, the farmer took his wife and children to the barn to look at the cows.
As his family started at the ugly, skinny cows, he told them about the little, old lady and her instructions for feeding them. 
The pink cow was to be fed only red, ripe strawberries; 
the brown cow was to be fed only chocolate;
and the white cow was to be fed only coconut. 
They should never feed them anything else. 

The family agreed to follow the little lady's instructions for feeding the cows, and after several weeks, they were fat, sleek, and ready to be milked. 
The farmer gave his daughter a pail and asker her 
to milk the pink cow.  
He gave his son a pail and asked him to milk the brown cow, 
And the farmer milked the white cow. 
To their amazement, each one received a different kind of milk. 
Pink milk that tasted like strawberries came from the pink cow. 
Brown milk that tasted like chocolate came from the brown cow. 
Cool and creamy white milk came from the white cow. 
Feeling very happy and very pleased with all the different kinds of milk from the three cows, the farmer continued to feed 
the pink cow red, ripe strawberries, 
the brown cow chocolate, 
and the white cow coconut. 

So, after doing without milk for many years, the farmer and his family now enjoy strawberry, chocolate, and creamy white milk 
for breakfast, after school with cookies, 
and each night before they go to bed.